Paralyzed in 1985, Marc Buoniconti finds lifelong friendship and a mission that endures 40 years later

A college football tragedy from 1985 remains a defining moment for two players whose lives diverged and then converged in ways neither could have imagined. On Oct. 26, 1985, during a Citadel game against East Tennessee State at Memorial Center in Johnson City, Tenn., linebacker Marc Buoniconti was injured in a collision that would leave him paralyzed. The events of that day and the years that followed would ultimately birth a long-standing friendship and a lifesaving mission that continues to grow today.

Buoniconti, 19 at the time, had already faced a difficult path to college and football. He was the son of Nick Buoniconti, the Miami Dolphins star who helped win an undefeated season in 1972 and who would later become a public face of the family’s fight for paralysis research. Scott Thompson, a Citadel defensive lineman who was among those on the field that day, recalls seeing Buoniconti’s neck brace and the improvised stabilization given the program’s tight budget. “They put this brace on Marc’s neck and tied it down just before the game,” Thompson said. “I was standing next to him and said, ‘Marc, you can’t play like that. You’re gonna break your f—ing neck.’” The play would unfold in sensational detail, with Buoniconti colliding in a way that left him unable to move and ultimately diagnosed with a dislocation of the C-3 and C-4 vertebrae and a severe spinal cord injury.

The era’s context mattered. Citadel’s athletic budget was modest, and players wore retread shoes as part of a program working with limited resources. Yet in the aftermath of the collision, the priorities shifted dramatically for Buoniconti and the people around him. The injury’s impact extended far beyond the playing field as Buoniconti’s father, Nick, and other family members became central figures in a broader fight for paralysis treatment and research. The immediate response involved emergency care and stabilization, and Buoniconti’s condition would set the stage for a modern crusade dedicated to curing paralysis.

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The injury’s consequences reverberated through two families. Marc Buoniconti’s life changed in an instant, but the arc of the story also touched Herman Jacobs, Citadel running back, who suffered his own consequences in the wake of the play. Jacobs, who grew up in a tough environment in Tampa and had early life challenges, found that his actions on the gridiron produced a weightier sense of responsibility after Buoniconti’s injury. He recounts the moment in vivid terms, describing how the collision occurred and acknowledging the heavy emotional toll that followed both players’ futures.

Buoniconti’s path to college was already a testament to perseverance. He spoke of growing up with a famous father and the expectations that accompanied it, as well as the personal challenges that accompanied his adolescence. He described his high school years in Miami as a period in which he learned discipline, even as he pushed boundaries. The Citadel opportunity represented a chance for growth, but it came with its own set of tests.

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The two men’ s stories diverged and then began to intersect in meaningful ways. Jacobs faced his own trials long before the two became linked through Buoniconti’s injury. A horrific incident in Jacobs’s early life—an event connected to the loss and instability that marked his childhood—helped shape his character and his approach to life after football. It was a life-altering realization that he could channel energy and purpose into something constructive beyond the game. The on-field collision that changed the trajectory of both players’ lives did not end either man’s story; it redirected both toward a shared mission.

In the wake of the injury, Nick Buoniconti and Dr. Barth Green would help found the Miami Project/Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, a charity that would grow into a central force in paralysis research. Over the next four decades, the initiative has raised more than $550 million for studies spanning from first-responder treatment to cellular biology with the potential to unlock cures for paralysis and related diseases such as Parkinson’s, MS, ALS, and Alzheimer’s. Marc Buoniconti, who became quadriplegic, would later become a leading advocate and the president of the organization bearing his family’s name. In his telling, his father was a hero who sacrificed much to help him and others, a sentiment he reiterated when reflecting on his father’s influence and the broader mission.

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The legal and personal journey surrounding the injury would also mark a long period of estrangement between Buoniconti and Citadel. In 1988, Buoniconti sued Citadel and its trainer and team doctor, with Jacobs and Scott Thompson testifying on his behalf. The dispute was settled, but the rift endured for more than two decades. It wasn’t until 2006, just before his 40th birthday, that reconciliation began in earnest and Citadel’s No. 59 was retired in a halftime ceremony—a symbolic gesture that signaled a closing of the old wounds. Around that time, Buoniconti reached out to Jacobs, and the two men began to repair their relationship after years of guilt and misunderstanding on both sides.

The two men found a way to turn their shared pain into a broader purpose. Jacobs joined Buoniconti for a Citadel reunion in 2007, an event that marked the strengthening of their bond. Jacobs later moved to Florida to enroll at Johnson & Wales University, and Buoniconti welcomed him into his life in a way that went beyond friendship and into the realm of mutual care and purpose. Jacobs took on daily caregiving duties, assisting Buoniconti as he navigated life with spinal cord injury, and the two embraced a role as partners in a cause larger than themselves.

Today, Buoniconti is the president of the Miami Project/Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, continuing the work his father began and expanding it into a broader research and patient-care mission. Nick Buoniconti, who died in 2019 at age 78, remains a central influence in the family’s effort. The organization’s impact extends beyond paralysis: its studies have implications for Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, ALS, and Alzheimer’s disease, reflecting a commitment to scientific inquiry across neurological conditions.

As the 40th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner approached in New York City, the event brought together a slate of honorees including Albert Pujols, Dominique Wilkins, Warren Moon, Dwight Howard and Thurman Thomas. The dinner, hosted by Gloria Estefan and Bob Costas, was organized with the support of partners like the New York Post and aimed to raise awareness and funds for the Miami Project/Buoniconti Fund. Scott Thompson, who serves as treasurer for the charity, planned to attend, along with Jacobs, who is often by Buoniconti’s side.

The story of Buoniconti and Jacobs is one of resilience, forgiveness, and a commitment to turning tragedy into life-affirming work. It is a narrative in which a life-altering collision on a college football field became the catalyst for a decades-long partnership, a remarkable medical and philanthropic enterprise, and a friendship that endures as a testament to the human capacity to transform pain into purpose.

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